Buffy stared out into the darkness. Everything seemed especially quiet tonight. Perhaps it had something to do with the impending doom and apocalypse. Tomorrow they would fight. All of the training and preparing would be put to the test, and they would find out if the girls were truly ready. Her idea for the spell had indeed been a clever one, and she was sure that if it worked, they would win. But there was still a small part of her that feared the spell wouldn’t work, and if that was the case, everyone could die. Herself included. Not that dying was a foreign concept to Buffy. After all, she had done it twice already. But that did not mean that she wanted to die again. In fact, she wanted quite the opposite. She wanted to live; really live. She wanted to be able to get up in the morning without worrying about saving the world or killing evil things that wanted to end it. And assuming everything went as planned, she would get that life.

Inside, everyone was trying to forget about tomorrow. Some of them were probably asleep by now, but others were still up playing games and watching television. She knew Willow was upstairs preparing herself for the spell she would cast, and no doubt Kennedy was right by her side, telling her she would do great and not to worry. It was nice to have someone like that; to tell you what you need to hear, giving you strength. She had someone like that, too. Someone who was probably lying in the basement, waiting for her. Not two years ago, she would have thought the mere idea of her taking comfort in Spike, insane. And it was, if she was honest. A slayer turning to a vampire for strength was not exactly an everyday occurrence. Unless you were her.

She could probably write a book about it; a book warning future slayers to watch out for good looking vampires who were in touch with their human sides. They were tricky, those vampires. They could reel you in when you weren’t paying attention, and then cause you to have these feelings that you really don’t want, and know you shouldn’t have, because you’re supposed to be killing them, but for some reason you can’t seem to do that because of the stupid unwanted and unwelcome feelings they happened to evoke in you unexpectedly. It would probably be a best seller.

Buffy shivered and rubbed her arms with her hands. It had been getting warmer the past few weeks, but it was still cool at night. She took one last look into the yard before turning to go inside. The house was relatively quiet as well. Either everyone had gone to bed, or they didn’t want to wake those who had. Most of them were probably lost in their own thoughts about their families and the possible death tomorrow promised. Buffy wished she didn’t have to lead these innocent girls into battle, but the First had to be stopped, and there seemed to be no other way. She entered the dining room to find Xander and Giles playing a game with Andrew and Amanda. Amanda was one of the few potentials’ names she had remembered. Those that had been here for one on one training were more familiar to her, but many of the new girls, she’d never even spoken to. Maybe that was why a lot of them seemed to prefer Faith. She had taken the time to get to know most of them. But being a leader was not about being best friends with your followers, and that was what she had to be. And like she had told Spike, she knew some of them would die, and as bad as it may sound, she didn’t want to care. Because caring made you weaker, and she already had enough people she cared about fighting this war.

She made her way to the kitchen and noticed two of the girls were sitting at the bar talking. She didn’t recognize them. They both smiled at her, and she tried her best to give them a reassuring smile back. They seemed to accept it and went back to their conversation. The slayer then continued her journey and ever so slowly approached the basement door.
---------------------
Spike lay on his cot in the basement of Casa de Summers. He listened to the sounds coming from up above. For the most part, everyone had settled down. Occasionally, he would hear footsteps or stifled giggles. There was really no telling what the antsy teens were doing.

‘Probably looking at bloody magazines or something,’ he thought. ‘Or peeping at Harris again.’ He laughed at the thought.

Xander had lived in Buffy’s house for a while now, and had still not learned to properly lock the bathroom door.

‘Git.’

He heard the front door close and wondered if Buffy had come back. She’d left earlier, saying she needed some air, and some time to think. Spike picked up the trinket beside him and looked at it. He still couldn’t really believe the slayer had given it to him. What he couldn’t believe more is what she’d said to him before giving him the amulet. She had called him a champion. Never in his 100 and something years had anyone ever considered him a champion. It was an indescribable feeling. He wasn’t sure if he should let himself get too excited about it though. Lately, Buffy had been sending him rather mixed signals, and he wasn’t exactly sure what she wanted from him. Sure, they had spent the last few nights in each others arms, but did that mean that she wanted more than just comfort? He really didn’t know what to think.

If she really did want more from him, he wasn’t sure he was ready to give it. In the past, he’d have been willing to give her anything if she would have only asked, but now things were different. He had a soul, and that meant doing the right thing. And he didn’t think the right thing in this situation was to jump in with no inhibitions. If he really wanted this to work, he would back off and let her make the first move. He would follow her lead, and not push her for anything. That had been his problem before. He had wanted to think that he knew what was best for her, when clearly he had not. He had been thinking mostly about himself and not about her feelings. Of course he had loved her and cared about her, but he hadn’t been able to see what their relationship was really doing to her, and he’d be damned if he let that happen again.

The sound of the basement door opening pulled him out of his thoughts. He stood when he saw that it was Buffy. She stopped at the end of the stairs, and they stood there a moment, just looking at each other. She was the first to speak.

“So, um, I talked to Faith, and she’s giving me my room back.”

“Just like that, huh?” he asked, not really believing the rogue slayer would give up the big bed so easily.

“Well, no. Actually, there was yelling involved; some throwing of heavy objects. It wasn’t pretty.”

“But you won.”

“I did.”

Silence.

“So…why are you down here?”

“I was sort of hoping you would…stay with me.”

She looked surprisingly nervous as she awaited his response.

“I could do that.”

A slight smile appeared on her face.

“Great. And it’s a good thing you agreed, cause I kind of gave your bed away.”

“Oh you did, did you?”

“Yeah. I told Faith and Wood they could sleep down here. I pointed out how it’s quieter and more private in case they want to…you know.”

“Just don’t expect me to sleep down here again if they do.”

She laughed.

“To be honest, I think they already did…in my bed. But don’t worry; I changed the sheets and everything.”

“How considerate of you,” he said grabbing his coat. “Guess this is all I really need.”

She nodded, and they both started up the stairs. Before they made it too far, a noise caused them to abruptly turn around.

Standing in the middle of the room was a yellowish demon with green eyes and a giant blue stick. They both rushed at it, but before they had a chance to make contact, the demon pointed his staff at them and chanted a few words. A bright light formed and they both shielded their eyes.

Soon the light faded, and everything went quiet again. The basement of the Summers’ home seemed unaffected, but the vampire and slayer that had occupied it, were gone.
-------------------------

Buffy slowly faded back into consciousness. Her eyes opened, and she blinked several times before they could focus. She was looking at the stars.

‘Since when was I outside?’ she thought.

The last thing she remembered was being in the basement of her house with an ugly demon and Spike. Spike. She wondered where he was.

“Spike,” she called sitting up. She noticed for the first time that she was in the cemetery. She looked around and saw the vampire lying a few feet away. He was seemingly unconscious. She crawled over to him.

“Spike.” She reached out and shook him. “Spike,” she tried again. “Wake up.”

She heard a groan emit from him. He opened his eyes and made a strange face at her.

“Slayer?”

“Yeah.” She helped him sit up.

“What the bloody hell happened?” he asked rubbing the back of his head.

“Seems Mr. Sallow Demon thought it would be funny to send us on an adventure to the graveyard.”

“That’s exciting,” he said, noticing that her hand was still on his arm.

“Oh yeah. You gotta love demons with a sense of humor.”

They sat there a moment in silence before he spoke.

“We should get back. This could be the First trying to get us out of the house.”

A sudden rush of panic hit Buffy.

“Oh God, you’re right. Come on.”

They both got to their feet and were about to take off when a voice from behind them caught their attention.

“You’re not going anywhere.”

They turned around and found themselves face to face with the last person they expected to see.

“Riley?”

“Buffy? What are you doing? I thought you were taking the East side.”

“What?” the slayer asked confused.

Riley turned his attention to Spike.

“Didn’t I tell you to get lost once already?”

“How do you get off telling me to get lost? And since when are you back in town anyway? Didn’t you skip off on your honeymoon or something?”

It was Riley’s turn to look confused.

“I don’t know what the hell game you’re playing, Spike, but I’m not in the mood.”

Spike narrowed his eyes at the other man. It had been over a year since he’d last seen him, and yet his feelings for the soldier had not changed. He still had the urge to punch his lights out. The only difference now was that he could. Since the slayer had gotten the chip taken out of his brain, he’d really only tried it on Wood. He assumed the boy must know about the chip. He had, after all, been the one to leave all decisions up to Buffy. Surely the other soldiers had told him the outcome; unless he hadn’t wanted to know. Spike always thought Captain Cardboard had felt threatened by him; even when they both thought he had no chance with Buffy. It would be great if he could show him how threatened he should be, but he knew Buffy wouldn’t like that very much, so he settled for glaring.

“Riley, what are you doing here? I’m with Spike. I thought you were in like Bolivia or something.”

“What are you talking about? And what do you mean, you’re with Spike?”

“I mean, I agree with him. I’m equally surprised to see you.”

“Why? I saw you less than fifteen minutes ago.”

Buffy and Spike shared a look of confusion.

“What’s going on?” she asked him.

“Bloody hell if I know.”

“Buffy? Are you alright?” Riley asked.

“I’m fine, but are you sure you’re alright?”

“Yes. I told you, I can handle myself. I don’t need you looking out for me, Buffy. I’m a big boy.”

“Sure you are, Mate.”

“Spike,” Buffy warned and he rolled his eyes.

“I really don’t know what you’re talking about,” Buffy told her ex, “I haven’t seen you in over a year.”

Before he could reply a girl approached him.

“Riley, there you are. I’ve been looking all over for y…” she broke off when she saw the other two people standing there.

All four sets of eyes widened in disbelief. The two men took a step back and examined the two women before them. The two women, who both had blonde hair and green eyes. The two women, who both had two small scars on the left side of their necks. The two women, who were both Buffy Summers.
-----------------------------

Strange things happen in Sunnydale. Anyone who had ever lived or visited there could attest to that. One comes to expect these things; especially when one is the slayer. But the one thing she was not prepared for…was this.

Buffy stared at the slightly younger looking version of herself in shock. She looked confident, and ready to kick ass if needed. They both looked each other over, neither really knowing what was going on. Buffy was getting the feeling that they weren’t in Kansas anymore.

“Who the hell are you?” the younger of the two Buffys asked.

“I think she’s you,” Riley said.

“What? That’s not me. I’m me.”

“Yeah, but I think that’s you too,” he said looking at older Buffy, “I’m just not sure how.”

Younger Buffy looked at Spike.

“What did you do? She isn’t like a robot or anything is she?”

The older Buffy laughed despite the situation, and Spike glared at her.

“I didn’t do anything.”

“And I’m not a robot,” Buffy added.

“Why should we believe you?” Riley asked her.

“Okay, weren’t you on my side like two seconds ago?” older Buffy asked.

“So, if you’re not a robot, then what are you?”

“Demon,” younger Buffy supplied. “You know, you guys are really running out of ideas if you’re having to make yourself look like me to get my attention. What I don’t get is…what did you think you were gonna accomplish? And you really could have done a better job. You got the hair all wrong.”

“I’m not a demon,” other Buffy said defensively putting a hand to her hair. She had had one too many people accuse her of being a demon in the past few years. And her hair was just fine. “But I’m thinking you might be.”

“Me? I’m the demon. You’re the one hanging out with Spike.”

Buffy looked over at him. He seemed unfazed by her comment.

“Better company than Captain Cardboard here.”

Riley sent Spike a glare.

“You still haven’t answered my question,” younger Buffy said angrily, “Who the hell are you?”

“I’m Buffy Summers, and you are?”

Younger Buffy narrowed her eyes.

“You expect me to believe you’re me?”

“Maybe.”

Spike looked at her.

“You think that’s you?”

She nodded. Something about the other Buffy was too familiar. She looked and acted exactly like she herself had a couple of years ago.

“What’s today?” she asked suddenly.

“Huh?”

“The date…of today.”

“The 19th,” Riley told her.

“Of?”

“October.”

Buffy looked at Spike who raised his eyebrows at her.

“What year?” she asked Riley.

“What are you getting at?” the other Buffy asked.

“Just answer the question.”

“2000.”

Buffy and Spike exchanged a worried look.

“What?”

“I think we’re from the future,” she said.

“You can’t be serious,” younger Buffy said.

“I wish I wasn’t.”

Younger Buffy shook her head. “I don’t buy it. Whatever game it is that you’re trying to pull, I’m not falling for it.” She said the last part more to Spike.

“Me? And why the bloody hell do you assume this is my doing?”

“Hmm, let me think…cause you’re a vampire, and that’s what you do.”

He opened his mouth to protest, but older Buffy stopped him.

“So, what is going on?” Riley asked.

“We don’t really know. We should talk to Giles,” she told Spike.

“You really expect me to believe that you’re me from the future?”

“Right now I’m not even sure I believe it. But we need to find out, now don’t we?”

“We don’t need to do anything. You and…Spike need to stay right here while Riley and I figure out what’s going on.”

“This could take a while,” Spike said, causing past Buffy to glare at him and future Buffy to slap him on the arm.

“We’re not staying anywhere. I am gonna talk to Giles.”

“You go anywhere near Giles, or anyone else, and it’ll be the last thing you do.”

“That is such a me thing to say,” Buffy said with a hint of irritation. “I’ll talk to Giles if I want to talk to Giles. And I don’t see you stopping me.”

“Really? Care to test that?”

Buffy glared at herself and looked like she was ready to throw punches. Spike grabbed her arm and pulled her a few feet away from them.

“Slayer, we need to figure out what’s going on, and you fighting with yourself is not getting us anywhere. You know how stubborn you are.”

She glanced back at younger her. He was right, and she knew it. They really did need to figure out what was going on and arguing about who was gonna be in charge was wasting time.

“Fine, but I am so talking to Giles.”

Spike sighed. He loved the woman, but sometimes she acted like such a baby.

“Okay listen, we’re not making any progress here. So, why don’t we all go see Giles together?” Buffy asked. “That way you can…keep an eye on us.”

The younger Buffy seemed to contemplate this. It was obvious she wasn’t crazy about the idea, but she nodded her head yes.

“Alright. But if you try anything…”

“It’ll be the last thing we ever do. I got it.”

“Good.”

“Let’s go then,” Spike said.

The four of them started walking, future Buffy and Spike about ten feet ahead. Past Buffy wanted to keep her eyes on them. She still didn’t trust them.

“So, do you think they’re telling the truth?” Riley asked her.

“I don’t know. There’s something familiar about her, but I just have an uneasy feeling about the whole thing.”

“We’ll keep an eye on them.”

“And if they make a wrong move…”

“We kill them.”
---------------

“So, this big ugly demon sends us on an adventure through time. That’s new.”

“Makes sense though,” Spike said. “First wants us out of the game.”

“You think?” Buffy asked, becoming instantly worried.

“Trying to get us out of the way.”

She nodded. “So it can move in on everyone. My God, how did we let this happen?”

“We didn’t exactly let it happen, luv. We didn’t even have a chance to fight the bloody thing.”

“Maybe if we’d have been more prepared…”

“For a surprise attack by a time traveling demon? Yeah, we should have been prepared for that.”

“I’m just saying…we should have been ready for anything the First threw at us. I didn’t even think about it pulling something like this.”

“What I don’t get is if it was going to send us somewhere, why would it send us to the past? We could stop it from here. If we really wanted to, we could change the entire future.”

He had a point. If they wanted, they could make sure the First never found a way back into this world. And Buffy couldn’t deny that changing the future had entered her mind. It would be easy to prevent a lot of the bad things that had happened to her; like dying, or being brought back. But she knew that it was wrong. She didn’t know much about time travel, but Giles had mentioned it once or twice, and the way he made it sound, changing anything in the past could destroy the future.

“I don’t know. Maybe it was desperate. Or…maybe it wasn’t the First.

“Well, if it wasn’t the First, then who was it?”

She shrugged.

“It’s not like we don’t have other enemies.”

“Enemies that would choose the night before the biggest battle we’ve ever faced to take you and I out of the picture? I just don’t think that’s a coincidence.”

Buffy didn’t think it was much of a coincidence either. Even if it hadn’t actually be the First that had sent them here, it had to one of it’s henchmen.

“We’ll know more after we talk to Giles. Then we can decide what to do.”

“What if they ask about the future?”

“We can’t tell them anything,” she said quickly.

He looked over at her. Did she mean she didn’t want them to know anything, or that she didn’t want them to know about how close they had become? Whereas everyone in the future had become at least partially accepting of their relationship, no one in the past would understand.

“As much as there are things I would like to change, it’s not right. Besides, we don’t know how much we’ve already changed by just being here. If we mess with too many things, there might not even be a future to go back to.”

He nodded in agreement. Time was not something to mess with. He had heard of demons and vamps that had attempted time traveling and had faced dire consequences. Spike certainly didn’t want he and Buffy to end up like many others had.

Buffy looked around the cemetery. Everything looked familiar, but it still wasn’t clear whether this was actually the past or not. It was possible they had been sent to another dimension that was made to look like their past. At this point she wasn’t sure of much. But if this really was the past then there would be a lot of familiar events soon occurring. If it was October that meant it wouldn’t be long before Glory made her appearance in town, and as much fun as that had been the first go round, she didn’t really want to stick around for it again.

Something suddenly occurred to Buffy and she stopped dead in her tracks.

“Spike,” she said, grabbing his arm and pulling him back.

“What is it, pet?” he asked, worried by the look on her face.

“Mom.”
------------------------

Giles had never been much of a skeptic when it came to demons and strange happenings. He had learned early on that almost anything was possible and one should never underestimate others. But standing here, looking at his slayer, presumably from the future, he was starting to have his doubts.

“And you’re sure this is you?” he asked past Buffy.

They were standing in the kitchen, talking rather quietly. Riley, future Buffy, and Spike were sitting in the living room.

“Well, she looks like me, sounds like me. I don’t know, Giles. It’s weird, but there’s something about her.”

“Do you feel any sort of connection to her?”

“I guess. I can’t really explain it. But I have this bad feeling. Maybe it’s them…maybe it’s what sent them here. I don’t know.”

Giles nodded. “We’ll have to keep a watch on them.”

“You can do that. It is your job after all. You know…watching.”

He frowned at her.

“Well, I can’t keep them at my house. We don’t want them getting near mom or Dawn. In case they are evil.”

“Point.”

“What should we do?”

“I suppose we talk to them. See what we can find out.”

She followed him out of the kitchen.

“So, what’s the verdict?” future Buffy asked.

“Beg your pardon?” Giles asked.

“Do you believe us?”

“I’ll admit, it is a bit outrageous, but not unheard of. And you two seem genuine enough.”

“Thanks ever so,” Spike said sarcastically, earning him a slap on the arm from Buffy.

“What do you think is happening?”

“I'm not sure. I don’t know very much about time travel. I’ve heard stories, and read about it happening, but as far as I can tell, it’s rare. Demons have to have quite a bit of power to even open a portal through time, much less control it. Did anything or anyone else come through?”

Buffy shook her head. “I don’t think so. As far as I know it was just me and Spike.”

“So, were you guys in the cemetery? In the future…before it wasn’t the future…” past Buffy asked, making a face at her own words.

“No. We were at my house; in the basement. We were walking up the stairs when we heard something. Turned around, and there was the demon.”

“And next thing we know, we’re waking up here,” Spike added.

“That’s very odd,” Giles said. “Why do you suppose the demon would attack you in your home? Did you do something to upset it?”

“Not that I know of. I’d never even seen a demon like that before.”

“Can you describe it?”

“Uh, well, it was big and ugly and yellowish with green eyes I think. Oh, and it had a stick.”

“A stick?”

“You know…like a magic…stick. It was blue.”

“Like a Merlin kinda deal?” past Buffy asked.

“Yeah, sort of. That may have been what it used to open the portal. I didn’t really see much. There was just this big flash of light.”

“Wait,” Giles said. “Merlin. There’s something.” He walked over to his book shelf and scanned the books. When he found the book he was looking for, he pulled it out and flipped through the pages. He stopped on one page. “Here.” He showed it to past Buffy and Spike. “Is this it?”

“Yeah,” Buffy said. “What is it?”

“It’s a Swinboc.”

“A huh?”

“Swinboc. They’re very ancient. There hasn’t been a report of one for hundreds of years.”

“So, what does this swimmy demon thing do?”

Giles rolled his eyes at her attempt at the name. She certainly had that in common with his Buffy.

“They’re like genies. They grant wishes to those who free them.”

“Like from a lamp?” past Buffy asked.

“I suppose it’s possible. That’s where the whole genie in a bottle legend got started. But they can be confined into almost any object; talismans, rings, and even silverware sometimes.”

“Wait, talismans?” Buffy looked at Spike. “You don’t think it was in that thing Angel gave us?”

He shrugged and reached into his pocket. The trinket was still there, so he pulled it out and handed it to her. She showed it to Giles.

“Angel?” past Buffy asked.

“Yeah. He brought it to me to use for…saving the world purposes.”

“It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” Giles said taking it from her and examining it.

“Is there anyway to tell if it used to have a demon inside it?”

“There could be remnants of demon essence around the object. A simple spell could probably tell us if anything demonic was ever contained it here.”

“Willow,” past Buffy suggested. “She could do the spell.”

“Yes, but we shouldn’t wake her tonight. I don’t believe any of us are in exceptional danger.”

“So, if this demon guy is like a genie, then why didn’t he ask us what we wished for. Isn’t that how it usually works. Three wishes?”

“They’re typically telepathic.”

“In other words, he just knew what we wanted?”

“It’s possible.”

Future Buffy contemplated this. If the demon really had known what she wanted, then why wouldn’t the First just be dead? Why the hell would it send her to the past? Unless, what she wanted was a second chance to change everything. She could even prevent the First from ever resurfacing, could stop her own death.

“You think this things what sent us here then?” Spike asked.

“No, I wouldn’t say so. Genies have the ability to grant wishes, but to mess with time…seems a little out of their league.”

“Alright then, what could do it?” he asked.

“A witch,” Riley said.

Everyone looked at the soldier who had been quiet up until this moment.

“A witch could do it. Professor Walsh once had a whole department dedicated to the study of witches and warlocks. Some of them are very powerful.”

“Giles?”

“He’s right I'm afraid. We could very well be dealing with a powerful Wicca.”

“And I'm guessing that won’t be a walk in the park?” future Buffy asked.

“Hardly.”

The idea of facing a powerful witch did not appeal to Buffy…s…at all. Future Buffy knew how Willow had gotten when she went all dark after Tara died. If that was any indication of how this witch would be, she wanted to avoid a confrontation at all costs.

“Alright. It’s getting late. I say we call it a night. Tomorrow we’ll do research, get Willow on it. Maybe then we can figure out who, or what, is really doing this,” past Buffy said.

“I think that’s a good plan,” Riley said.

They both stood up.

“What about us? Where are we gonna stay?” future Buffy asked.

“You two can stay here. Buffy can stay in the guest room, and Spike…you can take the couch,” Giles said.

Spike made a face. He’d slept on that couch before and it was none to comfortable.

“Joy.”

“He could be making you sleep outside,” Riley told him.

Spike glared at him.

“Giles,” past Buffy asked, “Are you sure? I was only kidding about you watching.”

“I’ll be fine. I'm becoming more and more that this Buffy and you are the same person. And as for Spike, as long as he’s still got that chip in his head, he couldn’t hurt me if he wanted to.”

Future Buffy and Spike shared a look.

“Right.”
-------------------------------

Spike stared at the ceiling. Watcher boy really needed to rethink his color scheme. Peach ceilings did not go well with the rest of the place. He sighed and rolled onto his side. He really needed to get some sleep. It would be morning soon and they would have to face the rest of the scoobys. Plus, he had yet to run into himself, and he was sure that would make for an interesting conversation. ‘Hey, mate. I'm you from the future, and guess what? You’re still a pathetic love sick wanker.’

He tried to will himself to sleep, but it wasn’t working. And this lumpy couch wasn’t helping matters any. Oh, what he wouldn’t give to be in the slayer’s bed. That was where he was supposed to be tonight. Not on Rupert’s couch…alone. Stupid genie demon. Couldn’t fate even let him have one night?

He was pulled out of his thought by the sound of quiet footsteps on the stairs. He looked to see Buffy approaching him.

“Hey,” she said walking over to where he was.

“Shouldn’t you be asleep right about now?” he asked her.

“That was the plan. I just can’t seem to get comfortable. Besides, I can’t stop thinking about the First and all of its evil plans.” She sat down beside him on the couch.

“I’m with you there, Slayer. I can’t sleep either.”

“I think it’s this place.”

“Giles’?”

“No, I mean…here in the past. Everything’s just so…I don’t know.”

“Insane?”

“Yeah. And we still don’t really know why we’re here. I just wish things would be simple for once.”

“You should know better than that, luv. Wishful thinking is no ones friend.”

She smiled. “Specially not mine.”

“Preaching to the choir, pet.”

She was silent a moment, lost in her own thoughts.

“Would you mind if I stayed with you tonight?” she asked suddenly.

“Are you sure that would be a good idea, luv? What if Giles, or other you, sees you with me?”

“They won’t. I won’t. I’m smarter than myself…now. And I’m sneakier too.”

“You lost me, pet.”

“Please.”

“Alright.”

He shifted over on the couch and she crawled in beside him. She snuggled up to him and he put his arms around her.

“What do you think is going to happen to us?” she asked.

“I don’t know.”

“This is part where you’re supposed to say that we’re gonna be fine. Everything’s gonna be fine. We’re gonna make it back to the future, and kick the First’s ass, and live happily ever after.”

“Okay, what you said.”

She smiled against his chest.

“Thanks, Spike.”

“Anytime, pet, anytime.”

As soon as light hit the front door, Spike was awake. The first thing he noticed was the slayer lying half on top of him with her head buried in the crook of his neck. She was snoring lightly and he felt bad for what he was about to do.

“Buffy, luv, wake up.” He tried to shake her, but she simply groaned and snuggled farther into him.

“Buffy, you need to get up. It’s morning.”

“Just five more minutes.”

He would have given in if not for the sound of feet moving upstairs.

“Sorry luv,” he said, pushing her off of him.

She made sounds of protest as he rose to his feet. It wouldn’t do for Giles to find them lying on the couch together. That would be too much they would have to explain. Buffy rolled over and opened her eyes.

“Spike?” she asked groggily.

“Yeah?”

“What time is it?”

“Almost seven,” he told her, looking at the clock on the wall.

“In the morning? Why are we up? There’s no school.”

“Giles,” he reminded her.

The name seemed to register something in her brain and she sat up quickly, remembering where they were.

“Where is he?”

“Upstairs. I can hear him moving around.”

She nodded, glad he hadn’t seen them. Not that she was embarrassed to be with Spike, but that was around her Giles, future Giles. This man would be more than a little shocked and there was this whole thing about not changing the future.

She rubbed her eyes and rose to her feet.

“Let’s make coffee,” she said. “Like the good little houseguests we are.”

He chuckled and followed her into the kitchen. She rummaged through the cabinets while Spike filled the coffee maker with water. Once the coffee was on, Buffy pulled some cereal out of the cabinets.

“I'm sure he would want us to have some,” she said when he raised his eyebrows at her.

“Uhuh.”

After making themselves some breakfast they resumed their places on the couch. Spike flipped on the television.

“Oh, I love this show,” Buffy told him.

“Lizzie McGuire?”

“Yeah. Dawn made me see the movie with her, but it was cute. We are so watching this.”

Spike rolled his eyes, but put the remote back on the table.

About 20 minutes later, the table had acquired two empty bowls, two coffee mugs, and two sets of feet.

“I don’t get it.”

“What’s not to get? They were making a music video.”

“With only two people in it? That’s lame.”

“You’re lame.”

“Good comeback, Slayer.”

“Bite me.”

“Is that an invitation?” he asked with a devious gleam in his eye.

“What do you think?” she asked with an equally intense stare.

Their gazes stayed locked for a moment before a voice broke through the moment.

“What are you two doing?”

“Watching the telly,” Spike said as casually as he could. “Hope you don’t mind, but the slayer and I helped ourselves to your cereal.” He smiled at the older man, who narrowed his eyes in return.

This Spike seemed a bit different then the one he knew and loathed, but there were still similarities; like the eating his food thing.

“We should get to the shop. The others are waiting on us.”
--------------------------

“So, tell me again why you drug us all out of bed this early on a Saturday,” Xander asked, his head on the round table in the Magic Box.

“Important research,” Buffy told him.

She still hadn’t told the gang about their visitors, but they would find out soon enough. Giles had called and said they were on the way.

“He’s just tired,” Anya said. “I kept him up all night.”

“An,” Xander said.

“I didn’t tell them we were having sex.”

Xander shook his head.

“Thanks for that,” Buffy said.

Willow took a seat beside Tara. “This must be really big if Buffy wants to do research.”

Tara nodded.

“Is s-something wrong?” she asked.

“We’re not sure yet. I…”

Buffy was cut off by the sound of the bell at the front door. The first thing the gang saw was a smoking blanket. The figure ran in and dropped the blanket on the floor stomping out the flames. He ran a hand through his hair and turned towards the door to look at Giles, who had just walked in.

“Are you trying to bloody kill me? I told you I could take the sewers.”

Giles rolled his eyes. “It would have taken too much time.”

Spike glared at him but didn’t say anything else.

“Spike? We got up early for Spike?” Xander asked, clearly not happy about the situation.

“Not just Spike,” Giles told him.

At that moment another figure walked through the door. A series of gasps sounded from around the room when they saw her face.

“Buffy?” Willow asked, never taking her eyes off of the girl at the door. “Is that you?”

Future Buffy took a look around the room. Everyone was staring at her. She knew it would be weird to see her friends from the past, but hadn’t counted on how strange it would be for them.

“Hello.”

“What’s going on?”

“It seems that we have a bit of a problem,” Giles told the group.

Their eyes came to focus on the blonde pair standing before them. Past Buffy began her explanation of everything they knew. She told the group about running into Buffy and Spike in the cemetery. Riley spoke up about the possible witch scenario. It was obvious that Willow and Tara were none to fond of that theory.

“You’re from the future?” Willow asked suddenly. “I didn’t know time travel was really possible.”

“It takes a lot of power,” Giles said. “But it is possible.”

“So, what do we do?” Xander asked.

“We research. See if we can find this demon or whatever. Maybe then we can figure of what’s really happening here.”

“I hope so,” future Buffy said.
------------------------

“Aha!”

“What is it?”

“We think we found the demon.”

Everyone looked at Xander and Anya, all hoping they had indeed found it. They had been researching for most of the day, and both Buffys were sure they would go insane if they had to sit still for much longer. The only break they’d had was when the pizzas they had ordered for lunch had came around two. Dawn had also stopped by after school, but past Buffy had taken her home. She hadn’t wanted her mixed up in everything that was going on. The teenager had talked to future Buffy for a few minutes before taking off though.

“So, you’re really from the future? That’s crazy.”

“Yeah, it’s weird for me too.”

“What about me? Am I there?”

“Yeah.”

“What do I look like?”

“You look like you…only taller.”

“Sweet.” She seemed excited by this prospect. “Do I wear heels?”

“Everyday.”

Her smile widened and she did a little jump. “I guess mom finally realized I am old enough to wear them.”

Buffy attempted a smile, but the feeling behind it was sadness.

“I guess she did.”

“Dawn, come on and stop bothering me,” past Buffy yelled from the door. “Mom’s waiting on you.”

“I'm coming, sheesh.” She looked back at future Buffy. “Got to go; I really hope you’re not this bossy in the future.”

It had been strange to see her sister at fourteen again. She was still a bit on the immature side. Though, she had yet to experience half the things her sixteen year-old self had.

“The one you were describing, the Swinboc, we found a demon that may just be powerful enough to control one,” Anya told them.

“Well, what is it?” Spike asked.

“An Evolon.”

“Never heard of it,” past Buffy said.

“Not surprising. They generally keep a low profile, and most of the time they don’t bother humans.”

“Then why do we think it’s this thing?” future Buffy asked.

“Because,” Anya told them, “they enjoy warm environments. And I know I'm not the only one who’s noticed it’s gotten hotter around here since yesterday.”

And she was right. It had been exceptionally warm since the arrival of the vampire and slayer. The weather channel said it was just a heat wave, but in Sunnydale, anything was possible.

“So, you’re saying there’s a new demon in town?” past Buffy asked.

“It seems so,” Giles said. As much as he hated to admit the ex-vengeance demon was right, it was the best and most likely idea they had come up with.

“But if they don’t normally hurt humans then why would they suddenly start now?” Willow asked.

“They’re very sensitive and complex creatures. The last one I knew, his name was Greg, he went on a rampage one time after a woman broke his porcelain cat.”

“Greg? That’s an odd name for a demon,” Xander pointed out. “I mean Balthazar…I get that…but Greg?”

“Just because they’re demons doesn’t mean they can’t have human names. Some human names are satisfactory.”

“Satisfactory?” past Buffy asked.

Anya ignored her and continued. “I'm not positive an Evolon is behind this, but at least it’s one theory.”

“She has a good point. It wouldn’t hurt to check it out. Besides, if I don’t kill something soon, I might have to settle for Spike,” she said.

Spike sent a glare in her direction, but she ignored him.

“How do we act?” Xander asked.

“We find the bugger and we kill it,” Spike said. As much fun as trips to the past were, he was ready to get back to the present.

“And what? Talk to it? I get the feeling it’s not gonna be really chatty,” past Buffy said.

“What do you propose we do then, Slayer?”

Spike had forgotten how annoying she could be. For the past year, they hadn’t fought or argued with each other. In a way he had missed it, but in another, it frustrated him to no end.

“We come up with a plan.”

“And waste more time?” What was it with the slayer and her plans? Could she never just wing it?

“It would be better than going in blind and getting ourselves killed.”

“So, we sit here while you come up with some ingenious plan and then follow you? Cause those always turn out so well.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. Future Spike or not, she still had the urge to punch that smirk off his face. He also received a punch in the arm from his time traveling companion.

“You may be from the future, but that’s not gonna stop me from kicking your ass.”

“Let’s see you try.”

She moved towards him, but before either of them could do anything else future Buffy pulled him aside. She made sure to grip his arm with more force than necessary.

“Ow, bloody hell, what?”

“Stop arguing with me.”

“You started it.”

“It doesn’t matter who started it. Fighting is not going to get us home any faster, remember? I know I'm a bitch, but both of us need to get over it. We have to get back. In case…” she broke off and looked away. She didn’t want to think about the possibility of what could be happening to everyone while they were gone.

“We’re gonna get back. And everything and everyone is gonna be fine.”

She nodded and tried her best to believe him. He had a way about him that made anything he said convincing. That had gotten her into some sticky…umm not so good…situations in the past.

“And my plans don’t always end badly.”

He smiled slightly and followed her back to the group.

“So, are we planning or are we not?” Xander asked.

He looked over at future Buffy. He had spent most of the “research time” watching her. She looked like his friend, only older and with different hair. But that fact that she was civil with Spike concerned him a bit. There was something different about future Spike; he just couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

“I have an idea,” Willow said. “Why don’t we split up? I can work on that amulet spell for you guys, and Buffy…s…can patrol or whatever. Even I'm tired of sitting here. And I'm hungry. We should get some dinner.”

“I second that,” Xander said. “Anya and I will pick up some Chinese while you guys do your thing.”

“What about the rest of us?” Riley asked.

“Spike and I will check out some of the demon bars, see if anyone knows anything,” future Buffy said.

Past Buffy nodded. “That’s probably a good idea. Riley and I will check the cemeteries. We can meet back here in an hour or so. Hopefully one of us will get lucky.”
----------------------------------

“Are you sure about this?” Spike asked.

She nodded.

They were standing on the porch of her home. After visiting all the demon hangouts in town, Buffy decided she really wanted to see her mom. She knew it would be hard, but it was something that she felt she really needed to do. But now she was beginning to regret it. She was almost shaking and Spike was trying his best to calm her down.

“You don’t have to do this right now. We could wait.”

“No, I have to see her.”

Buffy looked at the door. She hadn’t been this afraid in a long time. Just the thought of seeing her mom again brought tears to her eyes. She only hoped that she would be able to keep them in long enough to talk to her.

“Alright, I’ll wait out here,” he said.

A part of her really wanted him to come with her, but she knew that this was something that she needed to do alone. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. A few moments later, it opened to reveal the older woman. Buffy could feel her heart pounding in her chest.

Joyce looked a bit shocked at first, and then a small smile appeared on her face.

“Hello.”

“Hey,” Buffy managed.

“You must be future Buffy,” she said, and Buffy nodded. “You…other you…told me about her run in with her future self.”

“Yeah.”

Buffy didn’t know what to say. She had gone over this conversation a million times in her head, but for some reason, she couldn’t remember any of it now.

“Come in.” She motioned the girl inside and shut the door. “Would you like something to drink?”

“No, thank you.”

They entered the living room and both sat on the couch.

“So, what can I do for you, Buffy? They didn’t say you’d be stopping by.”

“They don’t really know.”

“They don’t?”

“Well…Giles wanted me to avoid the most people as possible. Apparently it could bring about the end of the world. But…I just wanted to see how you were doing. I know that now’s a hard time for you.” It was hard to get the words out without crying, but Buffy knew she had to be strong.

“I'm doing alright.”

“Good…I'm glad.” She could hear her voice faltering.

“Buffy, are you alright?”

“Fine,” she said a little too quickly.

Joyce studied the girl. She did not believe her, but decided not to press the matter. Instead she decided to change the subject.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t like something to drink?”

“No, really I'm good.”

Joyce studied her. “Listen, I know my daughter. And even if she is from the future I can tell when she’s lying to me. Come to the kitchen and I’ll get you something.”

Buffy smiled slightly and followed her.

“Do you still like lemonade?”

“Of course.”

“At least some things never change.”

She poured two glasses of lemonade and sat beside Buffy at the bar.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what’s it like in the future? Are there flying cars or robots?”

Buffy laughed. “It’s only two years, mom.”

“Oh right,” she joined in on the laughter.

It felt nice to talk and laugh, but at the same time it would only make it harder to leave.

“So, tell me about yourself. Are you working anywhere?”

“I was. Due to recent circumstances no one in Sunnydale is employed.”

“Is that so?”

“It’s a long story, but I'm completely on top of it.”

Joyce smiled at her daughter. She had turned out to be a beautiful woman and she was sure that no matter the situation, she could handle it.

“Well, I can’t say that I mind not working. I love the gallery, but it does keep me busy.”

Buffy found it hard to respond. She looked down at her hands.

“I can’t imagine what I'm doing with all of my free time. Maybe I will finally get the chance to read all of those romance novels I have packed away.”

She looked at Buffy to find her head down.

“Buffy…I know that things are probably different in the future, but I'm sure of one thing. You and your sister are the most important things to me. No matter what happens, that is never gonna change.”

The slayer looked at her mom and nodded. The urge to cry returned and she figured she’d better get out before the waterworks started.

“I should get going. Giles is probably waiting for me. We still have a lot to figure out.”

“Alright, well, it was nice to see you.”

“You too.” She stood up and started to walk away. “And mom…I love you.”

“I love you too, sweetheart.”

Buffy smiled, happy to hear those words from her mother again.

Joyce watched as her daughter headed for the door. There was something else going on, and she really needed to figure out what it was.

The door closed behind Buffy and she felt tears forming in her eyes once again. She sat down on the back steps and put her head in her hands. Seeing her mom had been harder than she thought it would be. She felt his presence beside her.

“Are you alright, luv?” He took his seat beside her.

She looked at him. “I’ll be fine. I just…it’s so hard seeing her again.”

“I know.”

She offered him a small smile.

“What is it about us and these steps? And why am I always the miserable one?”

He smiled slightly. “Got me, pet; seems a bit unjust to me.”

“I don’t know. It’s not like I haven’t done some bad things in my life.”

“That doesn’t mean you deserve any of this.”

“And neither does she.”

Buffy stood up from where she was sitting on the steps and walked out into the back yard.

“Now that I’m here, where I could change things, I can’t help but think about warning her or something.”

“But you can’t.”

“Why not?”

“We talked about this. We can’t change the past, no matter how much we may want to.” He stood up and came to stand beside her.

“I know, I just…I miss her so much.”

Spike lifted his hand to her arm, and she turned to face him.

“How can I let her die again?”

He didn’t know what to say to her, so he just took a step closer and put his arms around her. She wrapped her arms around his midsection and let her head fall on his chest. The tears that had been threatening to spill over finally did, and she let them. People always said it was better to let it out than keep it in. Not to mention she had herself an exceptionally good looking vampire to help dry her tears. That thought almost made her laugh. She had become dependent on a vampire to make her feel better…again. She had a feeling there never had been and never would be another slayer quite like her.

“It’ll be alright, luv,” he said suddenly, placing a kiss on top of her head.

“I hope you’re right.”
----------------------

From inside the house, Joyce watched her daughter and Spike embracing. The way he was holding her was almost…loving. And the way she was holding him back. She noticed him place a kiss on Buffy’s head, and how she didn’t pull away or protest at all. She wondered what that was about. As far as she knew, her Buffy wouldn’t touch Spike with a ten foot pole, much less hug him and let him kiss her. Joyce knew the vampire had some good in him, but she still wasn’t sure she was comfortable with this. The last relationship her daughter had had with a vampire had ended very badly and she didn’t want that to happen to her again.

As they pulled apart, she noticed him wipe the tears from her face. She gave him a small smile before letting him drape an arm over her shoulder as they left the yard.

She would need to speak with future Spike about this. If he was going to be with her daughter, Joyce was going to make damn sure that he wasn’t going to hurt her. Though, in the back of her mind, she already knew he wouldn’t.

“It was hard but it was worth it; just to see her again.”

Spike nodded.

They had already had the discussion about Joyce. There was no way they could save her. Even if they told her about the future there was no guarantee that it would save her anyway. Her death had not been supernatural after all. But there was no sense in worrying her when they didn’t have to. It would be better to let her continue living her life.

“We’re doing the right thing, by not telling her.”

“I know,” Buffy said. “But it doesn’t make it any easier.”

Spike resisted the urge to put his arms around her shoulders. She had let him comfort her in her yard, but they were close to the Magic Box now.

“I wonder if other me found out anything,” she said, trying to change the subject.

“Doubt it. Captain Cardboard probably couldn’t keep up.”

Buffy rolled her eyes. She should have known that Spike would never get over his beef with Riley.

“I just hope they did better than us.”

Out of all the places they’d visited, no one seemed to know anything about an Evolon being in town. And at the time, Buffy had not been in the mood to beat heads. The pair approached the outside of the Magic Box and Buffy suddenly came to a stop.

“Do you think this thing, whatever it is, is really what did this?”

“I think it’s possible.”

“But it’s also possible that it’s the First.”

Spike nodded.

“We should wait, though, to mention it.”

He agreed. It would make for too long and too stressful a conversation. They entered the shop to find everyone sitting at the table munching on some food.

“I don’t think we should involve anyone else,” Giles was saying.

“If we’re gonna beat this thing we need all the help we can get,” Buffy replied.

“But…do we have to get his help? Isn’t one Spike enough?” Xander asked.

“Hey,” Spike called from the door.

Everyone ignored him except future Buffy who cast a look in his direction and smiled.

“Usually I would agree with that,” Riley said, “But I’ve seen the size of that thing and I think we could use him.”

“I don’t like this anymore than you do,” Buffy told Xander, “But Riley’s right. We may need him. These things are unpredictable and very strong.”

“So we’re sure it’s this Evolon thing then?” future Buffy asked.

The group turned their heads to look at her.

“Yeah,” past Buffy told her. “We had a run-in. And let me just say…it is much uglier in person.”

Future Buffy walked over to the table and looked at the open book laying there. It was large and had dangly parts. She’d seen scarier looking demons but looks could be deceiving. And past her had just said something about a run-in.

“And I didn’t even injure the thing. It took off after throwing me about thirty feet across the cemetery,” past Buffy continued. “Luckily, a tombstone broke my fall.”

“Did you guys find any more information about it?” future Buffy asked absently, still looking at the photo.

“Yes. But not much. They like to stay where it’s hot.”

“Where better than the hellmouth?” Spike said.

Willow nodded. “So we were thinking that we may be able to find it near there. It may be a stretch to think the mouth of hell is actually hot to demons but…”

“It is.”

Everyone looked at Spike.

“What? You didn’t know that?” He shook his head. “Call yourselves scoobys. That’s why some demons are drawn to it. Sure, we can feel some of the “power” it gives off, but we can also literally feel the heat.”

“Interesting,” Giles said. “That would help explain why even mediocre demons find their way here.”

“Okay,” future Buffy said, “We know where it might go. How do we kill it?”

“Any way you can. Decapitation is known to be effective,” Anya said.

“The problem is getting close enough to the damn thing,” past Buffy said. “Which is why we need backup,” she directed the last bit at Xander.

“What about the amulet? What did you find out about it?” Spike asked.

He had felt uncomfortable giving Red the amulet in the first place. Now he needed to know if anything useful had been discovered.

“It has some major power in it, but no trace of a genie demon,” Willow said.

“What does that mean?” future Buffy asked her.

“It means that if the demon was trapped in something, it wasn’t this.”

“There goes that theory.”

“Where did you say you got this?” Willow asked.

“Angel,” Buffy replied.

“And he didn’t say what it was for? Other than saving the world I mean? No specifics?”

“I think he said something about cleansing.”

Willow nodded and seemed intrigued by this answer. She looked like she wanted to find out more about it, but nonetheless handed the trinket to Spike, who put it in his pocket for safe keeping.

“What do we do now?” Spike asked.

“We patrol until we find this thing,” past Buffy said.

The back door to the shop opened and Tara came walking in. Future Buffy looked at the girl. She hadn’t really had much time to think about her. Tara had definitely been a good friend to her in the last year of her life. She looked so shy in this time and it made Buffy’s heart ache to think about Willow and the pain they would all inevitably go through. But, like her mother, they could not warn her.

“Did you get it?” Willow asked approaching her.

“Yeah.” She handed Willow a book and a small bag. “S..sorry it t…took so long. It was buried in the b…back of my closet.”

“It’s okay,” Willow said, kissing her on the cheek.

Tara blushed slightly and sat down beside Willow at the table.

“What’s this?” past Buffy wondered.

“Tara had this old spell book that her mother gave her when she was younger,” she said holding the book up. “We think there may be a spell to help us send these two back to the future.”

“Really?” future Buffy wondered.

It was good news to hear. She had almost been afraid that they would be stuck in the past indefinitely. There was, after all, no guarantee that after they killed the demon that they would automatically be sent back home.

“Yeah, I’ll need to read all of the fine print though. Wouldn’t want to send you to the ice age or something.”

“Right.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll get you back home.”

Future Buffy nodded and looked over at Spike. He tried to look reassuring. He had faith that Red could get them back, and just hoped that was enough.
-------------------------

After they ate, the Buffy’s, Spike, and Riley headed for the cemetery. They needed to have a chat with Sunnydale’s favorite vampire.

“I still don’t see why we need him.”

“Because we need his help…your help,” Buffy reminded him.

“But isn’t one me enough?”

Ever since Spike found out they were really planning on calling on past him for help, he had been trying to talk them out of it. Sure it may seem like a cool idea to see your “younger” self, but at the same time he didn’t want to face himself. He didn’t want to see how truly pathetic he had been back then. Judging by the way everyone was acting, he had not told the slayer that he was in love with her yet, but he was almost sure that by now his past self had realized that he was.

“…need help,” he heard Buffy say.

“Didn’t catch that, luv.”

“I said we’re going to need help. And since I had to deal with my past self it’s only fair that you have to deal with yours.”

“Right…”

He could already imagine himself ogling the slayer and if that happened, he was going to personally punch himself in the nose.

“It won’t be that bad. Besides, I wouldn’t mind having two Spikes around.”

There was a suggestive tone in her voice that did not go unnoticed by him. He raised an eyebrow at her.

“Is that so?”

She smiled innocently. “Uhuh.”

Ahead of them Riley and past Buffy had reached the door to the crypt. Instead of knocking, Buffy simply kicked the door in. Future Buffy glanced at Spike when she heard him scoff and mumble something about breaking and entering.

“Spike,” past Buffy called into the crypt.

“What do you want, slayer?” he asked, emerging from the manhole. He came to stand in front of her. He wondered what she was doing here. Not that he minded, but she was making it difficult not to think about that dream he’d had.

“I need your help,” she said.

“My help? What could I possibly do for you?”

“Well…”

She was cut off as future Spike and Buffy walked into the crypt. Past Spike narrowed his eyes.

“What the bloody hell is this?”

Future Spike looked at himself. He knew it would be strange and had prepared himself for that. What he didn’t expect was for it to be this strange. Past Spike was having similar feelings, only had no clue what was happening.

“This is sort of why we need your help,” past Buffy said.

“What did you do?” he asked, still cautiously eyeing the other vampire and slayer.

“She didn’t do anything,” future Buffy told him.

Past Spike studied this woman. She sounded like his slayer, smelled like his slayer, and had that annoying shampoo commercial hair like his slayer, but could it be her? She did look slightly older, like she’d been through a lot more than the Buffy standing beside him.

“There was a demon. It somehow managed to send us on a time traveling adventure,” future Buffy continued.

“Future? You’re telling me that you’re from the future?”

She nodded. “Afraid so.”

“And we’re trying to send them back,” past Buffy added. “Giles is working on that. But in the meantime, we have a new demon in town that we need to take care of. That’s where you come in.”

“And I'm supposed to help you out of the kindness of my heart?”

“Yes you are,” Riley said.

“What are you doing here anyway?”

Riley crossed his arms, but didn’t say anything.

“Wait, let me guess. You’re here to protect and serve. That’s what you do, right? Prance around in your little soldier outfit, threatening vampires that can’t hurt you? I guess you are a real boy,” he said sarcastically.

Riley glared at him. Future Spike chuckled lightly and future Buffy smacked him.

“What? It was funny.”

She and her past self both gave him a look. Past Spike saw this and looked at himself. He took a step closer and gave him a good once over.

“So you’re me, huh, mate?”

Future Spike nodded.

“I know I'm devilishly good looking, but there’s only room for one Spike in this world,” past Spike said.

“I feel the same way,” past Buffy said.

He looked back at her. “Think I'm hot do you?”

Future Spike rolled his eyes.

“So not what I meant.” She really despised the way he twisted her words like that.

Past Spike just smirked before turning his attention back to his other self. He looked the same more or less. But there was something…he just couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

“Will you help us?”

“What’s in it for me?”

Future Spike internally growled. He’d never realized just how irritating he was. It was only fun when he was annoying other people.

“The satisfaction of knowing you helped those in need,” past Buffy said.

Past Spike scoffed and past Buffy rolled her eyes. She should have known he would be like this.

“Please,” future Buffy said.

Past Spike gave her a strange look. It wasn’t like the slayer to ask nicely. Maybe, just maybe, this older Buffy didn’t completely hate him.

“What exactly do you want me to do?” he asked.

“What you do best,” she replied.

“Be a pain in my ass?” past Buffy asked.

Past Spike did his best to glare at her, though he suspected his other self knew of his secret feelings, and there was a chance this other Buffy did, too. And he couldn’t help but wonder if things were different between them in the future. Maybe she’d realized she had feelings for him, too, and maybe…Spike shook his head in an attempt to will those kinds of thoughts away. There was no way the slayer would ever have those kinds of feelings for him.

“Hello…earth to Spike.”

Past Spike noticed the hand in front of his face. It was Buffy. His Buffy.

“What?”

“Space much?”

He ignored the comment. “What’s the plan then?”

“So you’ll help? With no compensation?” Riley asked skeptically. In truth he was really hoping the vampire would say no. They did need help, but one Spike was more than enough for him to deal with. And if the vampire refused then he was still on Buffy’s good side, pretending he was backing her on the whole Spike helping thing.

“Yeah,” he replied. His reason was just that. His. And he didn’t have to share it with Captain Cardboard. Not only would this allow him to spend more time around Buffy, but he would also get to spend time around this new, older Buffy. Not to mention there was still something about this Spike from the future that he needed to figure out.

“Alright then. First we do more research and…”

“I don’t do research,” past Spike said.

“Fine, we’ll do research and then we’ll call you,” future Buffy said, earning her a look from her past self.

“Well, you let me know when you’re ready to fight.”
---------------------

Buffy stared at the older version of herself. She and her Spike…umm…future Spike, were sitting nearby talking. Their friendliness towards each other had not gone unnoticed by her. It was a little unnerving. Why her future self was so chummy with Spike was a question that burned on her tongue. She really wanted to call herself out on it. There was something suspicious about the situation. It almost seemed like they were…dare she even think it…together. But that was impossible. She would never date a vampire…again. Right?

And what was up with her letting her time Spike off the research hook like that? Not to mention the fact that she had actually asked him politely if he would help. That was so unlike her.

When she saw him stand up and head into the back, she decided now would be as good a time as any to question her about the vibes she was picking up on. Hopefully, future her would be able to shed some light on the situation and put her fears to rest. She walked over and sat down at the table.

“Hey,” future Buffy said. “Find anything useful?”

“Not yet.”

“Us neither. And I can’t stress just how much I hate research. That’s one thing that has not changed.”

Past Buffy nodded. “Good to know I’d still rather beat up demons than learn about them.”

They shared a laugh.

“I think Spike is right. Maybe we should just go into the school and see if we can find anything. We have backup now.”

“Maybe, but I don’t know if I quite trust Spike’s judgment.”

“And why’s that?”

“He acts before he thinks. I mean, correct me if I'm wrong.”

“You’re not. He does still do that sometimes, but I do think he’s right about this.”

‘Sure you do,’ past Buffy thought. ‘But why is that? What is going on with the two of you?’

“Can I ask you a question?” past Buffy said.

“Sure.”

“What is your deal with Spike?”

Future Buffy didn’t know what to say. She hadn’t expected that particular question and it made her wonder if she and Spike had been too obvious about what was going on between them. They had agreed not to tell anyone for the sake of argument, but it seemed things had not gone as planned.

“What do you mean?” she asked, trying to play dumb.

“You two seem a lot more chummy than Spike and I are,” she said.

“Oh.”

Of course they were more “chummy”. They were friends now…maybe even more than that. But she couldn’t tell herself this bit of information. She wouldn’t take it well at all, and Buffy was sure of that.

“I trust him,” she replied. It sounded good but not too good. Not enough to make someone think one was involved with said person in question.

“Why? He’s a killer.”

Buffy had never realized before just how lame that sounded; almost as lame as ‘he’s an evil soulless thing.’

“Not anymore. He’s…different now.” And he was. So much had changed about him in so little time.

“Different how?”

How was she supposed to answer that? It was an impossible question and past Buffy knew it. She knew herself and knew she would never tell her anything without persuasion, and even then it would be difficult. But it never hurt to ask.

“I…I can’t really tell you; wouldn’t want to change the future or anything.”

“I think it’s a bit late for that.”

Future Buffy sighed. She knew that telling her past self about Spike’s soul would make a difference in the past, and possibly make the future a better one for the two of them. But despite all of this, there was still something stopping her. Probably the same thing that had stopped her from telling her mother and Tara they weren’t around in the future. It seemed wrong somehow.

“I’m sorry, but I think it would be better if I didn’t tell you anything else about the future. I do want to have a future to go back to.”

Past Buffy crossed her arms. She had a point. Not that it made this any less annoying. So Spike was different, but what did that mean? He didn’t kill people? He didn’t do that now, but only because he couldn’t. Without that chip in his head he would be feasting on half of Sunnydale, and of that she was sure. At least she wanted to be sure. She looked up as the man...demon…in question returned to the table. He looked the same, sounded the same, and annoyed her the same, but there was something about the way he carried himself that was different. It was almost like he was more careful than before. There was also a look in his eyes that she’d never seen. And the way he was looking at her future self right now…it looked almost like…love.

Her eyes widened as a similar look was given back to him. ‘Oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God…’ It wasn’t the same as her look for Angel. It wasn’t even the same as her look for Riley. But it was a look that meant something. A look that meant she was falling in love with him.

“I think I’ve got something,” Xander announced to the group.

“What is it, sweetie?” Anya asked.

“It says here that they love heat.”

“We already knew that, mate,” Spike told him.

He shot a look at the vampire. “I wasn’t finished. It also says they really hate the cold. It has twice the effect on them as it does on humans. So if…”

“We could find a way to make it cold, it may just weaken it enough for us to kill it,” past Buffy finished.

“Exactly,” Xander said.

“But how are we gonna do that?” future Buffy asked.

“A spell,” Willow said. “I'm sure we could find something that would work. A freezing spell or something.”

“There is a spell,” Tara said, “W-we could try it. It m-makes a glass ball. All you have to do it bust it.”

“We could do that,” past Buffy said. “I feel like smashing things.”

The look on future her’s face was still bothering her. She kept convincing herself that she must be wrong. There was absolutely no way that she could be in love with Spike. As far as she could tell he was still the same in the future, only somewhat tamer than before. But just because he didn’t get on everyone’s nerves like their Spike did, didn’t mean she would develop the warm fuzzies for him.

“It w-won’t take long to do the spell.”

“It’s worth a try,” future Buffy said.

“What all do we need?” Willow asked Tara.

Tara named off a few ingredients and the witches headed to the shelves of the store to find them.

“Yay, we have a plan,” past Buffy said.

“Should we call Spike?” Riley asked.

“Yeah, I guess we’d better.”

He didn’t look thrilled about the idea, but nevertheless went to call him.

“Where’s Giles?” future Buffy asked, realizing that he was nowhere to be seen.

“I think he went to the back to look for something,” Anya told her.

She nodded and looked over at her boyfriend.

“What?! No I…shut up, Spike,” Riley yelled into the phone.

Buffy could only imagine what the vampire had said to him.

“Yeah, you do that.” He hung up the phone and turned to look at Buffy.

“Well?” she asked.

“He’s coming.”

On the other side of the room Willow and Tara were looking through the shelves.

“Do you see the Tagus root?” Willow asked.

“Yeah, I got it. Hey, Willow, can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” the red head said looking at her girlfriend. “What is it?”

“It’s just…future Buffy and Spike…don’t you think there’s something…strange about them?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, they don’t seem to hate each other.”

“True, but maybe they just found some common ground. I mean, he doesn’t kill people anymore, and has been helping us out lately.”

“I know. It just…seems like more than common ground to me. But maybe I'm just crazy.”

“You are not crazy,” Willow assured her. She had to admit that the girl was on to something. She had also noticed the lack of hatred between the couple, but chocked it up to her imagination. There was no way it could really be more than the forced friendship that came when two people work together.

They both looked back into the main room and saw the vampire and slayer from the future laughing quietly to themselves.

“Maybe not.”
-----------------

“Where the hell is he? I called him over an hour ago.”

Riley was beyond frustrated with the no show vampire. He wasn’t alone, that was for sure.

“And you’re sure he said he was coming?” Xander asked.

“Yes, I'm sure.”

“He’s just being an ass,” past Buffy said. “His normal self. We should have expected it.”

“No offense,” Spike mumbled to himself.

“Well, we can’t wait much longer. We do want to get these two back to the future before it gets here,” Willow said. “Tara and I almost have everything ready for that spell.”

“He’ll show,” future Buffy told them. “He’s too curious about us not to.”

She’d noticed the strange looks he had given them earlier and knew that he would be curious about what was going on in the future. He would be especially curious as to why she was significantly nicer to him.

“Who’s too curious?” came a voice from the door.

Everyone turned to see past Spike coming into the shop.

“Slayer, so nice to see you.”

“Wish I could say the same,” past Buffy replied.

“Wasn’t talking to you.” He looked at future Buffy.

She raised her eyebrows. “Irritated. Where the hell have you been?”

He looked slightly shocked and disappointed at her answer. Maybe she wasn’t so different after all.

“I had something to take care of.”

“Something evil?” past Buffy asked, still somewhat offended that he seemed to be more interested in future her.

“Does it matter? I'm here, aren’t I?”

She contemplated yelling at him some more, but figured it would just waste time. They needed to get going. There was no telling how much destruction this demon could potentially cause. The book had said they were practically unstoppable when they were on a rampage so they needed to cut it off at the pass, before any real damage could be done.

“Here,” Willow said, handing past Buffy the small globe.

“Ooo, does it tell the future?” she asked jokingly.

“All you have to do is bust it. Throwing it on the floor will work. Just make sure you get within ten feet of the Evolon.”

“Got it.”

“And were sure this will work?” Riley asked.

“Pretty sure.”

“Okay, that’s good enough for me,” past Buffy said.

“Are we ready to go now?” future Spike asked.

“Yes, we are.”
---------------------

“I don’t get it,” past Buffy said. “Why is it that demons love to hang out in this school? It wasn’t so great when I was here.”

“It’s the hellmouth, luv,” future Spike said.

“Well, yeah, but it’s just so…”

“Dank and crispy,” future Buffy offered.

“Exactly.”

Past Spike rolled his eyes. So far he had been pretty quiet since they’d left the magic shop. He was busy studying this other him and this nicer Buffy. There was still something bothering him about them and he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was.

“Well, they are demons,” Riley said as if that explained everything.

“What is that supposed to mean?” past Spike asked.

“It means that demons have no…”

“Shh, I hear something,” future Spike said, holding up his hand. There was someone or something around the corner. He pointed to let the group know the demon they were looking for was more than likely only a few feet away.

Past Spike continued glaring at Riley, daring him to finish the rest of his sentence. The soldier did his best to look like he didn’t care. Spike couldn’t hurt him anyway, not with the chip in his head.

They all held up their weapons and crept slowly around the corner. Sure enough there it was. It was uglier and bigger than the picture showed, but close enough for them to know they had the right demon. It noticed them almost right away.

“Well, there goes the element of surprise,” past Buffy said.

It made a roaring noise and ran towards them. Future Buffy looked around the demon, expecting to see some sort of ritual set up, but saw nothing. It didn’t even look like the demon had been here very long. It also appeared to be alone.

“So you don’t wanna talk then?”

Past Buffy was the first to attack. She went to hit the demon, but it grabbed her hand and threw her back. Future Buffy ran at it next. She punched it in the face before it knocked her to the side.

Its strength matched that of the uber vamp that had beat the crap out of her the first time she had taken one on. The demon grabbed her by the shoulders and sent her flying across the room. Quickly the Spike’s charged him and managed to get in a few hits before it knocked them to the side as well. Past Buffy had recovered and landed a kick to the demon’s stomach, but it didn’t seem to faze it. Instead it reached out and grabbed her around the throat. It seemed determined to choke the life out of her, but dropped her when future Buffy slashed it in the side with her sword.

“No killing me.”

She went to swing the sword again but was knocked off of her feet before she could follow through. Both Spikes were on the demon again but it sent them both flying.

Riley pointed his gun at the demon but as he went to shoot it grabbed the gun, breaking it in half. It punched him in the face and he went down. Hands, fists, and feet flew as all five pounded on the demon. It managed to get in a few good licks itself and both Buffys knew they would have some bruises in the morning.

“Drop the ball, slayer,” past Spike yelled to her.

Buffy nodded and pulled the item out of her bag. She quickly smashed it on the ground. Immediately the room was hit with a cold burst of air. The Buffys and Riley shivered and the demon let out an almost agonizing noise. They took this time to react and attack. Whereas the demon seemed slightly weaker than before it was still able to defend itself.

When the slayers and vampires were pushed away, Riley went back at the demon by himself.

“Riley no!” past Buffy tried to warn him. “He’s still too strong.”

But he ran forward anyway. He raised his hand and punched it once in the face before being thrown backwards into the wall. His body went limp and fell to the floor.

“Oh my God, Riley,” past Buffy yelled.

He was on the ground and didn’t appear to be moving. Buffy tried yelling to him but there was no response. Future Buffy felt a rush of panic as well, but not quite for the same reasons. Riley couldn’t die now. That would change the future significantly. If he were to die now, he would never move away. He would never save all those people and kill all of those demons. He would never marry Sam and he would never come back to Sunnydale and make her realize that her relationship with Spike was wrong for both of them. And maybe she would have come to that conclusion on her own, but what if she didn’t? And would she have otherwise had the strength to end it? And whereas it may not be so bad, on the other hand she knew that it probably would. There was no telling what may have happened had they continued down the road they were on. Spike may have never gotten his soul. And she probably would resent him now instead of maybe falling for him.

Future Spike ran over to him. “He’s still alive,” he announced to the two panic stricken women. The fact that his future Buffy still seemed to care about the soldier so much did bother him slightly. He knew that it shouldn’t because he wasn’t even in the running for her heart in the future, but he assumed that part of it had to do with the fact that she did love Riley, and probably always would. But would she ever be able to love him? Really love him?

The knowledge that he was alive seemed to relieve the Buffys enough to get back into the fight. Though they had somewhat disabled the demon, it was still strong. Past Buffy landed a kick to the demon’s midsection and it stumbled back slightly.

Past Spike was right behind her punching it as hard as he could. The demon stumbled once again and future Spike hit it from behind. For the first time it actually looked affected.

“You have no idea who you are messing with,” it said.

“So you do speak?” past Buffy asked.

“The slayer and vampire must not be allowed to live.”

“And why is that?”

“It will bring about the apocalypse.”

“Hello, already there,” future Buffy told it before landing a kick to its stomach.

The fight resumed then with four sets of arms and legs hitting and kicking at it. Riley opened his eyes and tried to sit up. He could see the fight going on around him, but couldn’t find the strength to get up.

“You do not understand,” the demon tried to tell past Buffy.

He started to say something else, but didn’t get a chance to. Future Buffy raised the sword and swung as hard as she could. The demon’s head fell to the ground with a loud thud. Buffy raised her arm and wiped her forehead.

“That was fun.”

Everyone, including future Spike, glared at past Spike.

“What? Tell me that wasn’t fun.”

They all turned away from him.

“Live a little,” he said, mostly to himself. “Metaphorically of course. The world may end tomorrow.”

They all seemed to ignore him.

“Are you alright?” past Buffy asked Riley, who still looked somewhat unconscious.

“I’ll be fine,” he told them, but even as he said the words, he wasn’t quite sure he even believed himself.

“Right. We’ll get you out of here. Spike, could you help?” past Buffy asked.

The vampires looked at each other and then at her.

“You want us to carry his arse out of here?”

“Why not just leave him here?”

She narrowed her eyes at them.

“I’ll help,” future Buffy said, walking over to where they were.

“Thank you.”

The two women picked Riley up and draped one of his arms over each of their shoulders.

“Really, I'm okay,” he tried to tell them, but as they took a step he winced.

Both Buffys shook their heads as they carried him out of the building.

“Tell me she doesn’t end up with him,” past Spike said.

Future Spike looked at him. He couldn’t tell him anything of course but couldn’t stop himself from smirking before heading after the others.

Past Spike stood there a moment longer. He knew what that look meant. She wasn’t with Captain Cardboard in the future. Though that didn’t by any means imply that she was with him. But it also didn’t mean she wasn’t. And he’d be damned if let them keep this secret much longer.
--------------------------

After getting Riley to the car, they headed back to the Magic Box. Past Buffy wanted to take Riley to the hospital but he refused, saying that he had no broken bones and only needed some Advil. Both Spikes were convinced he just didn’t want to look weak like the human that he was. He had been overcompensating ever since he’d gone on detox from the drugs Professor Walsh had been giving him.

When they got back Willow and Tara were getting together the last of their spell.

“Good, you guys are back. And from the looks of it, it didn’t go so well,” Willow said when she saw Riley limp in the door.

“I decapitated the demon,” past Buffy said. “Well…I didn’t…but I did,” she said pointing to future her.

“Well yay,” Willow replied.

“Yeah, except obviously we’re still here,” future Buffy said.

“Don’t worry. We have everything ready for that spell, and I think it just may work.”

Past Buffy helped Riley over to the table and he sat down in one of the chairs.

“Where are Xander and Anya?” she asked, noticing the two were nowhere to be found.

“They went to get something from Giles’”

Buffy looked to the watcher for confirmation. “Yes. I needed another text, and we are quite busy here so I sent them.”

She nodded.

“So what’s all this?” past Spike asked, indicating the books and bottles lying around.

“That’s for another spell.”

“What other spell?” future Buffy asked.

“Well, Giles came up with a pretty good point about something. Once you two leave, you’ll go back to the future, but the thing is, we will still know you were here. We will remember it and just knowing that there is a future, well, it could change it.”

“So what are you saying?” past Buffy asked.

“We can’t be allowed to remember,” Giles told them. “If we do, the future you return to may not be the one in which you left. Your presence here has altered what is to come, so we must take precautions. Have you come into contact with anyone else since you have been here?”

“Just mom and Dawn. And a few demons, but I don’t think they could tell us apart from past us.”

“Good.”

“So wait. Are you saying you’re going to like, erase our memories,” past Buffy asked.

“In a sense, yes.”

“Hold on here,” past Spike said. “I don’t want you working any mojo on me.”

“I'm afraid we don’t have a choice,” Giles told him.

“I don’t know if I'm too crazy about that idea either,” past Buffy said. “What if we lose all of our memories?”

“We won’t,” Willow assured her. “We’ve gone over the spell a hundred times. And with Tara and I both working it, we should be fine.”

“Should being the operative word,” past Spike said.

“Spike,” future Buffy said to future Spike.

“Yeah?”

“Can I talk to you?”

“Sure, pet, what is it?”

She motioned towards the back and he followed her. Past Buffy watched as the two slipped off to the back. She had to stop herself from following them. What were they doing? Going to talk about some top secret future stuff no doubt.

Future Buffy and Spike entered the training room and shut the door.

“Do you think this will work?” she asked.

“Which part?”

“All of it.”

He shrugged. “I don’t know, luv, but what other choice do we have? We killed the demon and it didn’t send us back.”

“But what about the other demon? The yellow one that sent us here? The rebock? What if we try to find it?”

“Swinboc. And we could try, but how long would that take?”

Buffy sighed. He was probably right.

“Shall we go find out what this spell is all about then?” he asked.

“Wait, there’s something else I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Yeah?”

“Well, I’ve been thinking about what you said.”

“What I said?” Spike asked confused. What had he said? Should he remember something?

“Well, not you you. Other you. He said he that you shouldn’t be afraid to live a little. You never know when it’ll be too late.”

“Who knew I could be so inspirational.”

Buffy smiled slightly. “My point is he, you, were right. I'm tired of not doing what I want to do. I'm tired of being afraid to take chances.”

“What are you getting at, Slayer?’ Spike had learned not to make assumptions about the woman standing in front of him. And with the way things were between them lately, he didn’t want to bollucks that up by thinking she meant more by her statement.

“I…you…make me feel…”

He raised his eyebrows at her words. He was also sure that if his heart could beat it would be racing right about now.

“I don’t know how to explain it, really. It’s just…” And a thought occurred to her. She would just show him.

She took a step closer and pressed her lips to his. She found herself relishing in the feeling. It had been so long since they had kissed. It felt good, but almost as soon as it started it was over.

“What was that for?” he asked, tilting his head to the side and studying her expression.

“Everything,” she responded. “I’ve actually wanted to do it for a while, but it didn’t seem like the right time…until now.”

He smiled but didn’t get a chance to say anything as a voice interrupted them.

“What the hell is going on?”
-------------------------

“What the hell is going on?”

They turned to see past Buffy standing there, mouth agape.

“What are you taking about?” future Buffy asked, trying to sound casual.

“You were kissing him.”

Buffy took a breath. “Oh…that.”

Spike took that as his cue to leave. If the Buffys were going to fight, he didn’t want to get in their way.

“I’m gonna go see how Red’s getting on,” he said before slipping out.

The two women stood there looking at each other.

“You’re not me,” past Buffy said. “You can’t be me. I would never…”

“Never what? Kiss a vampire? We both know that’s not true.”

“That was different.”

“Always is. You know, I’m really starting to see why people used to be so annoyed with me when it came to Angel. For some reason, everything is different when we’re talking about him. But you know what? It’s really not. And maybe it’s taken this trip through time to make me realize that, but now I see it. Being with him isn’t the same as being with Spike, but that doesn’t mean that being with Spike is…less right.”

Buffy looked at herself, not really believing what she was saying. There was no way this could be happening. Had future her just admitted to wanting to be with Spike? Future Buffy seemed to be coming to a realization of her own.

“They are different; very different. And honestly, I think that’s a good thing. I have spent so much time trying to pretend Spike is less worthy of love than Angel. I convinced myself that he couldn’t be good without a soul, but I was wrong. He defied the black and white world I was living in. He made me realize that not all demons are out to destroy the world and the people that live in it. But more importantly, he helped me understand me. And yeah, we tend to bring out the worst in each other, but at the same time, we can bring out the best. He’s different from any guy I’ve ever been with. He seems to get me; sometimes better than I get myself.”

“I can’t believe you’re saying this.” It was like Spike information overload.

“I know. I know that you don’t understand, and I don’t expect you to. Not right now.”

“I don’t…how can you have feelings for him? How can I have feelings for him? We hate each other. We’re mutual enemies. How can that change so much in two years?”

“You would be surprised at what can change in only a couple of years.”

Dawn had gone from being a bratty kid to a fine young woman, Xander was no longer the freelance construction worker but instead managed a company, and Willow had gone from being a practicing amateur witch to being a powerful Wicca who was going to save the world.

“Do you love him?”

There it was. The question she knew was coming.

“I don’t know. I mean I care about him so much. I don’t think I’m in love with him; at least not yet.”

“But you could be.” It wasn’t a question.

“Yeah, I really could. I feel safe with him. He makes me feel…I can’t really explain it. But it’s good. And for once in my life, I’m not running away from my feelings. I’m tired of pretending I don’t feel things because other people think I shouldn’t. He loves me, and I think he could make me happy.”

“But it’s wrong. Vampires and slayers shouldn’t be together. I found that out the hard way. It doesn’t work.”

“It didn’t work then, but that doesn’t mean it won’t work now. And it may be wrong but…it’s the right kind of wrong.”

“How can you trust him when he doesn’t even have a soul?”

Future Buffy sighed. “Forget it. We don’t have time for this. Willow probably has the spell ready.” She started to turn away.

“Why won’t you answer my question?”

“What?”

“Why won’t you answer my question?” she asked more pointedly.

Future Buffy didn’t respond. Not that it really mattered if she knew the truth since they were all about to forget it anyway, but she had a feeling it would make things a little too weird.

“What are you not telling me?”

Before she could say anything Spike walked back into the room.

“You two planning on being in here all day? They’re looking to get started.”

Past Buffy looked at the vampire. The same vampire that was here in her time. The same one who’d annoyed the hell out of her time and time again. And yet there was something different about him. Something that future her saw.

“Oh my God,” she said as realization dawned on her. It was all but obvious now. “You…you have soul.”

He looked caught off guard at first. He looked to his Buffy for some help but she just sighed and nodded.

“Yeah,” he said after a moment.

“How?” she asked, still in awe of her discovery.

“It’s a long story.”

“I just…I don’t know what to think. Is this why you…” she said the last part to future Buffy but couldn’t find it in her to finish the sentence.

Spike waited for her to answer but she didn’t. He was slightly disappointed but tried not to let it show. They all stood there awkwardly, none of them knowing what to say now. Past Buffy knew the truth. But she probably wouldn’t know for very much longer. Not if the spell worked.

“I thought you were getting them,” Dawn asked from the door.

The group looked at her.

“I was,” Spike said. “Bloody woman won’t listen.”

Dawn laughed and the two Buffys just stared at each other. One wondering how the hell so much had changed in two years and the other hoping Willow was right about this spell.

“Well,” the young girl continued. “That sounds like her.”

“Hey,” they exclaimed, finally taking their eyes off of each other.

“Come on,” she said, ignoring them, and walking out of the room.

Spike followed after her.

“I don’t like this. I don’t understand it,” past Buffy said.

“I don’t expect you to. But in twenty minutes you probably won’t remember.”

“I don’t like that either.”

Nothing about this situation seemed like a good thing. And there was no way…NO WAY…the future could be like that. She would never fall in love with Spike. Right? She had to admit that once or twice she may have had thoughts of a desirous nature towards him, but that was lust at most. Not love. And she would never even admit that to anyone. But it seemed that in the future everyone knew the couple was…whatever they were. She tried to shake all of this off as she followed future her into the other room.

“You’re gonna erase our memories?” they heard Dawn ask in a somewhat disappointed voice.

“Just from the past two days,” Willow said.

“No bloody way,” past Spike said. He was still not convinced. He’d seen enough magic go wrong in his day.

“We won’t erase them entirely. Just any memories of future Buffy and Spike.”

“So we won’t get suspicious when we wake up tomorrow having lost 48 hours of our lives,” Riley said. He had been lying on the counter, attempting to will the pain away, but had pushed himself up into a seated position.

Past Buffy looked at him, concern all over her face. She still wished he would let them take him to the hospital.

“Exactly.”

“Sounds…iffy,” Xander said.

“Well, there is no 100 percent guarantee that it will work.”

“So what kind of percentage are we looking at?”

“80ish,” Willow said, and off of all of the looks she received, “85.”

“I don’t know…”

“It’ll work,” Tara said.

Everyone looked at her, not expecting her to speak.

“And we’re pretty much ready. I have to start the initial spell. Where’s Joyce?”

“On the way. I just talked to her,” Dawn said.

“Good. I’ll go ahead and start. I just need to mix these ingredients.” She pulled a small pot out of a cardboard box and laid it on the table. She and Tara then began putting things into it. Soon it was bubbling of its own accord and smoke rose from the inside. “This makes me feel like a real witch,” she commented with a laugh.

Not five minutes later, Joyce entered the shop.

“Sorry I'm late.”

“Its okay, Mrs. Summers,” Willow said. “This is taking longer than I thought.”

She nodded and looked at Past Buffy and Riley. “Hey honey….Riley.”

“Hey mom.”

“Joyce.”

When she was past them, Buffy turned her attention back to her boyfriend. “Are you sure you’re alright.”

“For the 100th time, I'm fine. Now drop it.” Her persistence for him to get help was really starting to annoy him.

“Okay,” she said, still not convinced, but not wanting to push him on it. He was getting more and more sensitive these days.

‘Like someone else you know and loathe,’ her brain screamed at her. She couldn’t stop her eyes from wandering to future Spike. He was standing near future her. No way that was gonna happen. No way.

“So what do I need to do?” Joyce asked Willow.

“Just drink a potion.”

“Wait, we have to drink that?” Anya asked, scrunching her nose at the pot. “It’s not like eye of frog or something, is it? Cause I’ve had that, and contrary to popular belief, it does not taste like chicken.”

“No, it should actually taste like orange juice,” Willow said, giving her a weird look.

“Should?”

Willow ignored her and continued mixing in the pot.

Future Spike was now leaning against the ladder and his former self came to stand beside him

“This is bloody fantastic. More spells. I hate magic. Always consequences.” Past Spike figured if anyone could understand his dislike for magics, it would be himself.

“Yeah,” future Spike said thinking about Buffy.

The consequence of bringing her back had been more than a tag-a-long demon. And if they hadn’t already agreed not to change the future, he would make sure that never happened. Though he was no fool to think he would ever let her die if he could stop it. Then, there would be no reason to bring her back.

“Is it like this, in the future?”

Future Spike was pulled out of his thoughts. “What’s that, mate?”

“Do they rely on magic to fix everything?”

He was about to say no when he remembered the huge spell future Willow was getting ready to perform. “Yes.”

Past Spike snorted. “Figures.”

“That’s the Scooby’s for ya.”

“Yeah. What’s the deal with you and the Slayer?” past Spike blurted out before he could stop himself.

“Come again?”

“You and Buffy? I'm not blind.”

“You don’t think I know that?”

“Then you know I'm not buying your little act.” Past Spike wasn’t quite sure himself what he was talking about, but knew that if he kept it up, it might bring out the truth he so desperately sought.

“And what act would that be?”

“Friends. You’re not friends. You’ll never be friends,” he said, echoing the words he’d spoken years before, but for much different reasons.

“Why not?”

“Slayer, vampire,” he said as if that explained everything.

“Chip,” future Spike said, pointing to his head. Given, the chip wasn’t exactly there anymore, but other him didn’t need to know that.

“So you mean to tell me that the Slayer, that slayer,” he said with a gesture at past Buffy, “has some sort of change of heart regarding me because the government made me its bitch?”

“I'm telling you things change.”

“I hear what you’re saying, but what aren’t you telling me? Because I know there’s something.”

Future Spike was getting really annoyed. Why couldn’t he just let this go? Oh right, because he didn’t do that. Even the soul hadn’t changed that about him.

“You really wanna know?”

Past Spike didn’t answer, but the look on his face told future Spike he most certainly did. And for whatever reason, it didn’t seem to matter anymore. The spell would erase the memories anyway. Why not have a little fun with himself? Future Spike made a face at how wrong that sounded, even in his head.

“Alright then.” He took a step closer and lowered his voice to almost a whisper. No need to bring anyone else into this. “I know things about Buffy you never even dreamed of knowing. I know fighting for her is both a release and a frustration. I know exactly where to touch her to make her knees buckle. I know what sounds she makes when you nibble on her neck. I know every curve on every inch of her body. And I know her blood is the best I’ve ever tasted.”

Satisfied that he’d made past him happy, he stepped back and leaned against the staircase. Past Spike on the other hand was having trouble wrapping his head around all that was just said. Was future Spike just yanking his chain, making him think something that happened that didn’t? Or could it possibly be true? He didn’t know, but somehow didn’t feel the need to press the subject any further, for which future Spike was grateful.

In the meantime, Joyce had walked over and took a seat at the table, where Future Buffy, Dawn and Xander were seated. Future Buffy looked at her mom and could feel the emotions stirring.

“How are you?” Joyce asked Buffy.

“I'm good. Ready to get back,” she said, knowing it was only partly true.

“I can imagine.”

“Well, I wish we didn’t have to do this spell,” Dawn said. “It would be so cool to remember you guys.”

“Maybe for you,” future Buffy said somewhat quietly. She was sure that past Buffy was dying to forget what she’d learned in the past two days.

“What?”

“I said…maybe it would be cool but it could also change everything. And that could be bad.”

“It could also be good.”

“Yeah, but I'm not willing to take that chance.”

Dawn sighed. There was no point in arguing with her. Their minds were all made up and it seemed this spell was going to happen. And pretty soon from the weird smell coming from Willow’s general direction.

“And we understand that, Buff,” Xander said. “That’s why we’re gonna drink whatever that is.” He pointed towards the witches.

“I appreciate you guys being so understanding. This is all just so insane.”

“You don’t have to tell me.”

Buffy smiled despite herself. “I'm just ready to get this over with. I wonder what’s taking so long.”

Xander shrugged. “I don’t know, but I know better than to rush magic. Last time I did, I ended up with twelve toes.”

Buffy raised her eyebrows.

“Long story.”

“Uhuh.”

Buffy looked away from Xander and back at her mom. This would be the last time she ever saw her, ever talked to her. What was she going to say? And she couldn’t say any of it with Xander and Dawn around.

“Can I talk to you…alone?” Joyce asked her, almost as if she’d been reading her thoughts.

“Sure.” The slayer looked at the other two.

“Oh…right,” Xander said, getting up from the table. “I'm just gonna go see what’s holding us up.”

“That means you too,” Buffy told her sister when she made no move to leave.

Dawn rolled her eyes and followed Xander across the room, leaving future Buffy and Joyce alone at the table. Buffy was happy to get to see her mom again, but at the same time she was a little unsure of what the older woman wanted.

“So what did you want to talk about?”

Joyce looked around to make sure that no one else was standing near them. She took a deep breath and prepared herself for the answer to the question she was about to ask.

“Mom?” Buffy asked when he didn’t say anything.

“I’m not around anymore, am I? In the future?” Joyce asked her after a moment.

Buffy’s eyes widened. She hadn’t expected that. She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do. She could lie and pretend she was, but Joyce would probably see through that. And what did it really matter now that they were doing the spell? She wouldn’t remember soon anyway. “No,” Buffy responded sadly.

Joyce let out a sigh. “I didn’t think so.”

Buffy could feel tears forming. “I'm sorry, mom. I didn’t want…”

“It’s okay.” She reached a hand out to her daughter. “Don’t cry.”

The slayer quickly wiped the tears away before they could spill down her face. “I wanted to tell you…or tell me, so that maybe I could stop it.”

“You can’t do that. Mr. Giles told me about the dangers of knowing the future. And if I'm not meant to be there, then I shouldn’t. Just tell me, you and Dawn, are you alright?”

Buffy nodded. “Yeah.”

“Then that’s all that matters.”

She wished she could agree with her mother. But how was she supposed to believe that life wouldn’t be better if her mom was around?

Joyce decided to change the subject. “But enough about me. What about you? What’s changed for you?”

“What do you mean?” Buffy asked.

“Well, you and Spike, you’re together in the future.” It was more of a statement than a question.

“What makes you say that?”

“I saw the two of you the other night.”

“Wh…”

“In the backyard. You were hugging. It seemed pretty intimate.”

“Oh.” She looked down at her hands. “Look, mom, you don’t have to tell me how wrong you think it is. I’ve already gotten enough of that from past me. I know it’s crazy, but I want it. And for once I’m not afraid to admit that.” She slowly raised her eyes to meet her mother’s.

She was surprised to see her smiling.

“I'm not gonna tell you anything. You’re old enough to make your own decisions. And if you say he’s worth it, then I believe you.”

“He is.”

“Okay, we are officially ready,” Willow announced to the group.

Joyce gave Buffy’s hand a pat and smiled that somehow let her know that everything would be alright. The two women stood up from the table and gathered with the others around the witches. Past Buffy helped Riley, despite his protests.

“Now stand in a circle.”

They moved around until they formed what would pass for a circle and waited for further instruction. Past Buffy had one hand on Riley, hoping he could stand long enough to make it through the spell. Anya was fiddling with her key to the cash register. She’d decided to put it on her necklace so if they did lose all of their memories at least she would know the money was safe. Giles cleaned his glasses and past Spike eyed future Buffy out of the corner of his eye. When she looked at him, he only smirked, causing her to turn her gaze to future Spike.

“What did you say to him?”

“Nothing.”

Willow handed everyone, with the exception of future Buffy and Spike, a small bottle that she had filled with some of the potion she had mixed together. “No reason to make you two forget.”

They nodded.

“This isn’t going to kill us or make us ugly, is it?” Anya wondered.

“Uh no. If anything we’ll all end up with permanent amnesia.” Off of their looks she covered quickly. “Which we won’t.”

“It could still be dangerous,” Giles pointed out. “You need to take every precaution.”

“I have. Trust me. I’ve read the spell forwards and backwards.” She looked at future Buffy and Spike. “I need you two to link hands and stand in the center of the circle.”

Buffy reached her hand over and Spike took hold of it. They stepped into the center.

“Now everyone else, drink your potions. The memory spell will take effect in about ten minutes, so we have to hurry.”

“Here we go,” past Spike said, raising his bottle.

Future Buffy and Spike watched as the group around them downed the liquid. Past Buffy being the last, and only drank it after receiving looks from everyone else. At least she wouldn’t remember the craziness that would be her future.

“Wow, this really does taste like orange juice,” Dawn said.

“Pulp free. My favorite,” Xander replied.

They shared a laugh while Willow picked up her book.

“Now, everyone be really quiet, unless you want your heads to explode.”

Silence filled the room as Willow began chanting in Latin. Within moments a mist rose up around them. The mist soon turned into a bright, blinding light. Future Buffy and Spike could almost feel themselves being pulled away from each other but kept a firm grip on the other’s hand. At first it felt like they were falling. And then…nothing.
------------------------

Buffy’s eyes drifted open and she found herself lying on a cold hard surface. A look around told her that she was in her basement. She sat up and pushed the hair out of her face. Spike was laying a few feet from her and she crawled over to where he was.

“Spike,” she said, shaking him slightly. “Spike, wake up.”

The vampire slowly drifted back into consciousness. “Buffy?”

“Yeah.”


“Are we back?”

“I think so. I can hear everyone upstairs.”

Spike listened to the sounds coming from above and knew she was right.

“Think anyone missed us?” Buffy asked.

“I don’t hear anyone panicking up there, so I'm gonna say no.”

‘That’s good,’ Buffy thought. They didn’t want to worry anyone with mention of yet another demon who was after them. They’d figured out who or what had hired the swimming shoe demon thing. And apparently that demon thought she and Spike would bring about the end of the world, but she frankly didn’t have time to worry about it now. They were back and seemingly all was well. For now. They would get through tomorrow and then worry about that.

They both stood up from the floor and Buffy dusted her clothes off.

“That was the craziest night ever.”

“And I’ve had some crazy ones,” he added.

She smiled. “I'm sure you have.”

He returned the smile. “It did actually happen, right?”

“Unless we just happen to have the same dream.”

Unlikely. Very unlikely. Or maybe not. This was Sunnydale.

“At least the trip was almost entirely painless. Just a little tingle in my left foot,” Buffy said, shaking her foot.

“Or that could be from where we’ve been laying on the floor for God knows how long.”

She made a face at him and he laughed.

“Anyway…we should probably go upstairs and check on everyone. Make sure everything’s alright. Plus, Faith and Wood probably want their room now.”

“And to think I’d almost forgotten that.”

She laughed. “Sorry, but like I said, changed the sheets.”

They headed towards the stairs, but she stopped right in front of them and turned back to face him.

“Do you think we’re gonna be alright?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

She smiled before leaning up and putting her lips to his. “Me too.”

He smiled back at her and they began walking up the stairs. “Should we tell them about our little adventure?”

Buffy contemplated the thought for a moment. “Nah. It’ll be our little secret.”
---------------------

Buffy stood, gazing into the giant hole that had swallowed Sunnydale. Gone forever were all of their most valuable possessions, and those things they probably should have gotten rid of but thought maybe one day they might need. Her mother’s grave, Tara’s…they were gone too. Every picture ever taken of any of them. Mr. Gordo. Everything.

And yet, somehow they would manage. Because they were alive, and that was the most important thing. At least, most of them were. She felt her heart break for Xander. He’d lost the love of his life and hadn’t really gotten the chance to say goodbye. And the girls, they had lost friends and many families around the world had lost a daughter. She felt sorry for all of those people. But not for herself.

Spike was gone. He had stayed behind to “clean up” the mess they had made. Was it the best plan to take a bunch of amateurs into a hellmouth full of uber vampires? Maybe not, but it’s what they’d done. And from the looks of things, it had worked. No more hellmouth.

“There’s another one in Cleveland,” she heard Giles say.

Oh well, who cared? They would cross that bridge when they came to it.

Buffy let her mind wander back to the night before. She would eventually tell Willow, and maybe Dawn, about her trip through time. They would get a kick out of it. She may even tell them about her realization about Spike. That he was indeed worthy of love, and she’d given it to him. Not when it counted of course. But in that moment, the moment their hands had caught fire, she knew. And maybe it hadn’t even really happened until that moment, but now she was certain. She was in love with him.

And he’d known she was telling the truth when she’d said those words. He’d felt it too. She was sure of that. He just wanted her to leave, to get out with the rest of them so she could have the life she so desperately wanted. He’d wanted that for her. And even though the thought of never seeing him again was surely going to hurt once this aftershock wore off, right now her heart felt light in her chest.

“Yeah, Buffy, what are we gonna do?”

Such a good question. What were they going to do? She didn’t know. Go to L.A. maybe. Tell Angel and his crew they didn’t have to worry. Then, who knew? Maybe she’d go to Rome. She’d always wanted to go there. And of course there was England. Spike had told her once about where he’d grown up. Maybe that was the place for her.

The demon had said she and Spike would bring about the apocalypse. And they had. Because of Spike she’d had the strength to not give up. And because of that strength, she had found the scythe and came up with the plan to make many slayers. And that had brought them close to the end. If they had failed, the First could have potentially fulfilled its master plan to destroy all things good. So yes, the demon had been right. Because of them there was apocalyptic danger. And because of them, it had been stopped.

In the brightness of the morning sun, she could almost see his face, smirking, but not to annoy her, just to let her know he would always be there. Her champion.

Their last night together had been strangely…perfect and in that moment she knew everything would be alright. No matter where her life ended up, it would be alright.

And she couldn’t help but smile.
---------------------

THE END